Please forward this to ONE friend today and tell them to subscribe here.When Dozie asked me to collaborate on another immigration post, my first move was classic Veronica: gather the PDFs, cross-reference the supplementary tables, compare targets to last year, and highlight every missing detail we still haven’t been told.
But this time, I realized the story isn’t just about numbers. It is also about people, like me, who’ve learned the hard way that in immigration matters, it takes years to breathe.
So I’m going to do this in two parts. First, the technical. Then, the truths I’ve learned living and working inside this system.
1. The Technical Reality: What the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan Actually Says
Canada’s Immigration Levels Plan appears stable at first glance, but the context underlying it is shifting rapidly. IRCC is officially steering the system from “welcoming by volume” to “managing by budget”. And when you look closely, several things become clear immediately.
A. Permanent Residency Targets Are Being Lowered, Quietly
Baseline PR target: 380,000/year (2026–2028)
Scenario target: 454,000 if needed
Across almost every program:
Express Entry drops from 122,830 → 109,000 in 2026
Parents & Grandparents drop from 21,500 → 15,000
H&C shrinks to only 1,000 spots
Business immigration is also decreasing
Refugee/protected persons: 115,000 admissions
The only true “winner” is the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). It’s going to rise to 91,500 admissions in 2026.
That’s a 66% jump from the Immigration Levels Plan 2024–2026’s 55,000. But we still don’t know how those spots will be distributed across provinces.
Some provinces, like Nova Scotia, have already stated that they’re planning for 2026, with priorities for healthcare, social assistance, and construction listed on their websites; however, even they’re waiting for their allocation. The province is officially shifting all Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP) streams and Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) Designations/Endorsements into a formal Expression of Interest (EOI) system.
B. Temporary Residents Are Being Dramatically Reduced
According to the “Temporary Residents” section:
Canada currently has 673,650 TR arrivals (baseline)
The government’s target is to shrink this to 385,000 in 2026
Study permits have also dropped to 155,000 — a 43% reduction.
Work permits are also likely to fall as Ottawa tries to push temporary residents to <5% of the overall population.
The above means we are faced with a comprehensive redesign of the Canadian immigration system as we’ve known it for some time.
C. The Mysterious “33,000 Transition Initiative,” Now Clarified
It’s a one-time, two-year initiative to fast-track PR for skilled temporary workers who are already contributing to communities and working in in-demand sectors, with a specific focus on rural areas. During that period, approximately 33,000 temporary workers are expected to transition to permanent residency. But here is what remains completely unknown:
What exactly counts as in-demand?
How will “rural” be defined? RNIP-style? PNP-style? A new definition?
Will this be an Express Entry category, a PNP stream, or a standalone program?
Will Francophone workers be prioritized again?
Which sectors qualify — trades, health care, agri-food, AI, “emerging technologies?”
Currently, this 33,000 box is a beautiful, gift-wrapped mystery.
D. Where Is the 2026 Category-Based List for Express Entry?
IRCC has not released the 2026 priority occupations list for category-based draws. It appears, however, that the new Express Entry category for skilled military members is likely to be introduced in 2026.
Additionally, on December 8, 2025, IRCC announced a dedicated Express Entry category for international doctors with one year of Canadian work experience (within the last three years). Invitations will begin in early 2026, and the immigration ministry plans to reserve 5,000 federal admission spaces for provinces and territories to nominate licensed doctors with job offers. These spaces are in addition to existing PNP quotas. It applies to family physicians, general practitioners, surgical specialists, clinical specialists, and lab medicine specialists.
Mentions of other priority occupations list for 2026 have vanished from public communication, even though:
French-targeted rounds dominated 2024 and 2025
Provincial needs are increasing
Federal caps on TR→PR require tighter alignment
The missing complete list of 2026 priority occupations is the most significant technical gap in the entire Levels Plan.
E. Where Is the Rural Strategy?
Canada talks endlessly about rural priorities, but:
No Rural category under Express Entry
No rural allocation formula
No rural occupations list
No employer support structure
No operational guidance
Additionally, there is limited information available on how the Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP) has evolved this year, as well as details on successful nominations. Even the 33,000 initiative focuses on rural workers without defining rural. This is a policy and public information vacuum.
2. Summary of Express Entry (Based on This Year’s Data up to December 3rd)
French language dominated the year. French-targeted draws issued over 42,000 invitations across the year, which was the largest single category for 2025. This aligns with federal priorities in the Levels Plan, where francophone immigration is consistently highlighted.
General draw CRS stayed brutally high. Despite occasional fluctuations, the CRS remained for the most part in the 530+ range with no steady downtrend.
No clear pattern, which means December draws aren’t guaranteed. Last year, draws paused mid-December. This year, the system is unpredictable, but the Level Plan’s tighter caps suggest IRCC may repeat that winter slowdown.
Category-based draws will tighten further. With Express Entry reduced to 109,000 admissions and PNP expanding, category draws will be more targeted, politically driven, language-dependent, and regionally influenced.
3. The Human Side. Why I Needed to Write This Differently
Now that I’ve laid out the numbers — the PR caps, PNP surges, reduced study/work permits, missing rural definitions, and the mysterious 33,000 initiative — I want to speak to the side that numbers can’t capture.
Immigration is not just a policy. It is a psychological landscape.
I’ve learned that it takes years to breathe. Years to stop calculating expiry dates before you fall asleep. Years to stop fearing that a missing document will derail your life. Years to realize that safety doesn’t instantly arrive with a visa. Years to trust your own (lack of) stability.
Every night, when I write my last thought of the day, sometimes it’s heavy. Sometimes it’s hopeful. But sometimes it’s both.
And every morning ( before my kids wake up, before the consultations, before the endless IRCC refreshes), I spend 4-5 minutes reading and sitting with whatever that thought is.
And it reminds me why I advocate so fiercely for clarity, transparency, and dignity in immigration. It reminds me why I write about the need for IRCC to define the rural rules. It reminds me why I ask for category lists for 2026. It reminds me why I question the design of the 33,000 fast-track to PR initiative.
It reminds me why I write these blog posts, because for millions of people, immigration is a state of survival. So, if you’re somewhere on that path, whether studying, working, waiting, hoping, appealing, or rebuilding, please know that you are allowed to pause, to feel exhausted, and to take years to breathe.
But most importantly, you’re not alone.
If you are ready to add 🌶️ to your 🇨🇦 immigration plan, book some time with Westdale Immigration Consulting Inc.
